Rick Barnes explains Nate Ament's next area of improvement

Rick Barnes has a fine line for Nate Ament to walk. The 19 shots he took against Duke? The five-star Tennessee freshman was trying to do too much. The 11 shots he took Monday night against Mercer? There were some 3-point looks that the rookie shouldn’t have turned down.

“Believe me,” Barnes said after No. 18 Tennessee’s season-opening 76-61 win, “after the last game against Duke, he showed his maturity because he came out, he took it to heart to what he didn’t do. And he’s got to get somewhere in between.”

Ament had 14 points and 10 rebounds in the 83-76 exhibition loss to No. 6 Duke at Food City Center on October 26, but it came on 5-for-19 shooting from the floor, including 0-for-5 from the 3-point line. Against Mercer, he finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, going 6-for-11 from the field and 1-for-4 from three.

Up Next: No. 18 Tennessee vs. Northern Kentucky, 3 p.m. ET, SECN+

Barnes repeated Monday night what he has said so often about Ament. He’s adjusting not only to the college game, but also playing on the perimeter on a full-time basis. 

“He’s going to adjust to playing against scrappy guards,” Barnes said, “because he’s never had to do that. But you look at his line (against Mercer), other than the fact that he turned it over three times, that’s a pretty good night. 

“And he’s really trying hard defensively. He really is. You can tell he’s trying to really become a good perimeter defensive player.” 

‘He’ll know more where his shots are coming from and when he needs to shoot’

Ament’s focus, at least on the offensive end, is on taking his work inside Pratt Pavilion into Food City Center.

“Even in the Duke game,” Ament said Monday night, “I feel like the shots I took are the shots I work on. (Against Mercer) I think my mindset was kind of just playing the team game, trying to play with my teammates. And I feel like it’s better for a coach to tell you to be more aggressive than for him to tell you to lay off a little bit.” 

The area between trying to do too much and not taking the shots that are there is where Barnes knows Ament will show improvement as he continues adjusting on the fly.

“He’ll know more where his shots are coming from,” Barnes said, “and when he needs to shoot.”

“I’m just going to try to make the best plays possible,” Ament added, “and continue to work on my game, but also stick to the things I know I work on.”